For this assignment, select any one of the case studies presented in Chapter 18 & page 463 of your textbook. Conduct a thorough case study analysis, following the guidelines presented at the beginning of Chapter 18, starting on page 454. Then prepare a case study write-up as described in your textbook.

Include the following: (minimum 2 pages)

1. Background Statement:  What is going on in this case as it relates to the identified major problem? What are (only) the key points the reader needs to know in order to understand how you will “solve” the case? Summarize the scenario in your own words—do not simply regurgitate the case. Briefly describe the organization, setting, situation, who is involved, who decides what, etc.
2. Major Problems and Secondary Issues:  Specifically identify the major problem and provide justification for your rationale. Present an analysis of the causes and effects. Fully explain your reasoning. Then, briefly do the same thing for any secondary issues you have identified.
3. Role:  Declare from which role you will address the major problem, whether you are a senior manager, departmental manager, or another role. If you are not familiar with the types of management titles in an organization, don’t worry; it is more important that you describe the level of responsibility and span of control of the role you select than have a specific title. Regardless of your choice, justify why you chose that role. What are the advantages and disadvantages of your selected role in solving this specific problem? Be specific.
4. Organizational Strengths and Weaknesses:  Identify the strengths and weaknesses that exist in relation to the major problem. Again, your focus here should be on describing what the organization is and is not capable of doing with respect to addressing the major problem. DO NOT rehash the case or describe the major problem as a weakness. Think critically here about what you may need in order to solve the problem.  For example, if you have chosen to address the problem from the departmental perspective and the department is understaffed, that is a weakness worthy of mentioning. Be sure to remember to include any strengths/weaknesses that may be related to diversity issues.
5. Solutions and Recommendation:  Conduct some research on your identified major problem/issue. For example, if the problem you have identified deals with a lack of effective leadership, discover what researchers have found it takes to be an effective leader. Are the different types of leadership styles effective for different situations? Are there specific leadership qualities that can affect specific types of problems? Can any of that research apply to your specific case? If so, describe (and cite) the research and how it applies to the case, and discuss how the role you selected could implement this. Then, discuss the pros and cons to this solution. Do this for at least two (but not more than three) potential solutions, and then do a decision analysis between them. Which solution would be the best one to implement? Think about the organizational strengths and weaknesses you identified earlier to help with your choice.
6. Evaluation:  In this section, you must describe how and when you will know that you have “fixed” the major problem. In order to do that, you need to quantify a metric. In order to know that your chosen metric actually measures what you think it does, you must pull it from the research—this validates your choice of metric. When pulling research for your solutions (above), keep an eye out for outcomes. For the example above, what have researchers found as the outcomes of effective leadership? Select a quantifiable outcome to use as your metric and cite the research. The metrics must come from your recommended solution. Which metrics will you use to measure success? How soon should the measurements begin and how often should they be done? In health care, we use dashboards to show where we are. In the real world, you will be expected to back everything up with numbers. Provide a baseline, target, and timeframe for your metric (make up these numbers).

Use the provided template | Week 6 Case study template.docx